Sunday supper for four with a splendidly rich dessert

Recipe: Gluten Free Chocolate and Whisky Cream Pie

Last Saturday night we had some friends come to dinner. It was raining and horrible outside, so after doing the shopping and tidying the house I spent the afternoon cooking and baking.
I made a big loaf of fresh Schar gluten free bread, using Schar Bread Mix B. This is by far the best bread flour I’ve found so far. The loaf came out with a nice crust and a doughy, soft centre. It was delicious!

I then prepped the seafood for a bouillabaisse. I’d bought some really good fish stock from Globus in the hope of not stinking the house out too much and I found some delicious aioli. From this I made up a bouillabaisse and had the fish, prawns and mussels ready to go in a few minutes before serving.

I also made up grilled scallops with pea mash, crispy prosciutto, reduced balsamic and lambs lettuce as an entree.

I don’t have photos of the food just before serving as I hate to take photos during a dinner party. It really ruins the flow of the meal and I want to enjoy the time with my guests.

The scallops turned out beautifully, next time I’ll use baby peas so that they’re a bit sweeter but otherwise I wouldn’t change anything. The bouillabaisse was delicious and served with the fresh bread and aioli it was perfect. The soup didn’t look beautiful though… and no matter how much I clean, my house still has a slightly fishy smell. Drat.

The pièce de résistance was the dessert. I made a Chocolate and whisky cream pie adapted from Donna Hay’s August/ Sept 2012 issue (Issue 64, Entertaining).

The use of a little sour cream in the topping is perfect! The acidity cuts the super richness in the dark chocolate. The whisky addition is nice, though next time I think I’ll try a Frangelico instead. It’s fabulously rich! I’ve still half a cake in the fridge as we’ve not been able to finish it.

Method

Put the biscuits, melted butter and cocoa powder into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Put biscuit base into pie plate and using the back of a spoon, press the mixture over the base and sides evenly. Refrigerate whilst you prepare the filling.

Place the milk, cream and chocolate into a saucepan over a low heat. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture just comes to the boil.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar, brown sugar, cornflour and whisky until well combined.

Add the chocolate/ cream mixture to the egg mix and whisk to combine.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and over a medium heat, stir continuously until the mixture comes to the boil (don’t stop stirring! The chocolate will burn to the bottom of the pan). Whisk until the mixture thickens (about 2 minutes). Put to the side and allow to cool slightly.

Pour mixture into biscuit base, refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until the pie is cool.

Using an electric beater, whisk together the cream and sour cream until you get soft peaks.